


warm

by amsves



Category: Log Horizon
Genre: Comfortember, Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-18
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:49:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27622975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amsves/pseuds/amsves
Summary: Being gone for so long had been hard. Shiroe felt it, and he knew Naotsugu did as well. And Tetora was making her new home here with this guild now. Everything felt different, and likely would for quite some time.It was Minori’s idea.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9
Collections: Comfortember 2020





	warm

Being gone for so long on the Abyssal Shaft Raid had been _hard_. Shiroe felt it, and he knew Naotsugu did as well. And Tetora was making her new home here with this guild now. Everything felt different, and likely would for quite some time.

It was Minori’s idea.

“It’s really cool out tonight,” she said, voice trembling like she was unsure if it was wise to keep talking, “So I was thinking, maybe I could make some hot chocolate and we could go up to the roof? I want to hear about your adventures. If you’re not too tired!”

“Hot chocolate, hmm …” Shiroe let himself entertain the idea. It wasn’t a bad one, by any means. Minori was right about it being a cold night, but it wasn’t windy and the moon was full. If they grabbed a couple blankets and had hot drinks, that could be a great way to get everyone back into the swing of things.

He turned to Naotsugu, sitting next to him on the couch. “What do you think? Would everyone like that?”

Naotsugu blinked, seemingly surprised. Then a smile slid across his face. “Well, I wouldn’t say no. Maybe we invite Marielle and them, too.”

“Good idea.” Shiroe sighed and tilted his head back to stare at the ceiling. He was _tired._ Truth be told, he wasn’t in the mood for socializing. But this sounded like a nice, stress-free way to enjoy the company of those he had been missing. “Minori, would you mind telling everyone else?”

“Ah, sure.” Minori half-bowed awkwardly and left.

Naotsugu elbowed him in the ribs. “She wanted it to be between the two of you.”

“What? I don’t think so.”

“Whatever you say, oh great Guild Master.” Naotsugu forced himself to stand up. “I’ll call Crescent Moon. You’d better let the Captain know so he can start brewing up some cocoa.”

Shiroe nodded and stood with great difficulty. Couches were a luxury he hadn’t been enjoying as of late. He would definitely be spending more time out here instead of squirreled away at his desk.

(Who was he kidding.)

Shiroe knocked on Nyanta’s door. “Captain? Can you make enough hot chocolate for twenty people? We’re having an impromptu party on the roof.”

“Look at mew, quite the social butterfly,” Nyanta teased as he opened the door and started towards the kitchen.

Shiroe laughed awkwardly. “Hardly. It was Minori’s idea, and then Naotsugu wanted to invite Marielle, and now it’s a whole thing.” He waved his hand jerkily for emphasis. “You know.”

“It appears I do,” Nyanta agreed as he started on the beverages. “Well, I’ll call everyone down when it’s time to grab a cup.”

“You’re the best, Captain!” Shiroe called as he left the kitchen. From his room he grabbed his spare blanket and equipped his winter coat. Then he headed up towards the roof.

Akatsuki was already there. She turned to face him as he set foot on the floor. “My Lord,” she said by way of greeting. “It is already time for hot chocolate?”

“Ah, no. I just wanted to get a feel for the weather.” Akatsuki nodded. Then, a thought struck Shiroe. “Wait, how did you know about that? I was about to tell you.”

“I am a ninja.”

“How could I forget.”

Akatsuki passed Shiroe on her way to the door. “I should put on a shirt with sleeves. It’s chilly.”

“Yeah, you’re not really dressed for the weather …” Shiroe looked behind him. Akatsuki was already gone, vanished without a trace. He sighed. “Well, she _is_ a ninja.”

His coat would suffice, Shiroe decided, but he left the spare blanket on the roof anyways. It could come in handy.

As he headed back inside the guild hall, he heard Nyanta calling them all down for hot chocolate. Immediately after, he heard Marielle declaring her arrival. “Well, that was perfect timing.”

It was pandemonium of the best variety in the kitchen. More people than should have physically fit in that not-insignificant space were crammed in, each clamoring for a mug of the chocolate that scented the air. Shiroe took a deep breath and felt his mouth water. “Captain, I hope you saved some for me!”

“For mew? Of course, Shiroechi.” Nyanta handed him a mug. “It’ll be crowded up there with all these guests. Hope you’re prepared to sit _agura_ -style.”

Shiroe smiled and accepted his mug. It was warm. “I’ll see you up there.”

Someone—probably Naotsugu—had hauled all the chairs and even the couch from the dining room up to the roof so that they wouldn’t all have to sit on the floor. Shiroe sank back into the couch with a sigh. Doing so caused a drop of hot cocoa to splash over the rim of the mug and onto his finger. He hissed.

“Clumsy much?” Tetora teased.

“Oh, yeah.” Shiroe looked up at her. She had taken up a position behind him, so he had to turn his head to the extreme. “You know, when the Catastrophe happened, I kept tripping all over the place, because I’m taller here.”

“That’s kind of adorable, Guild Master. Wouldn’t you agree, Akatsuki?”

Shiroe jumped as he noticed Akatsuki alighting on the arm rest of the couch. Another drop of cocoa sloshed over, this time onto his pants. “When did you get here?”

“I am—”

“A ninja. Right.” Shiroe noticed that she had changed into a different shirt, one with long sleeves, but that she had wrapped herself in his spare blanket anyways. He smiled.

That seemed to put her on edge. “What?”

He brought his face back to a neutral expression. “Nothing.”

A comfortable silence fell over the trio as they watched more and more people trickle up the stairs. Eventually the whole party was gathered, sitting on dining room chairs and cushions and folded-up coats. By each of them, a cup of hot chocolate steamed.

“So, the whole point of this gathering is that Minori wanted to hear about our adventures,” Naotsugu opened. “So let’s get started!”

Naotsugu clapped Shiroe on the back, but Shiroe wasn’t really in the mood to launch into an epic retelling. “You start.”

“Aw, don’t be bashful now! Tell them all about how cool you were.”

“I really—”

“ _I’ll_ start,” Tetora declared. “I was born—”

Shiroe suppressed a laugh and took a sip of his cocoa. _Warm_...

It was good to be home.

**Author's Note:**

> Agura-style is known in my area as criss-cross applesauce. Comment down below if you call it something else!
> 
> Find me and request bingo squares on [Tumblr!](http://www.therewillbebeauty.tumblr.com) I'm playing both Fluff Bingo and Bad Things Happen Bingo, so I can either torture or pamper your fave--or both! There's also a few days left in Comfortember, so if you have a prompt you want written, shoot me an ask~


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